French Spaniel

The French Spaniel descends from the hunting dogs described by Gaston Fébus in the 13th century and to which the ancestry of hunting spaniels is attributed. After good development during the early 19th century, it was gradually abandoned in favor of English breeds, particularly the English Setter. By the end of the 19th century, there are no breeding guidelines. The breed is left abandoned. In 1891, James de Connick drew up the first standard. The year 1906 saw the creation of the French Spaniel Club. Abbé Fournier attempts to save the breed by gathering some homogeneous specimens in his kennel. These are at the origin of current specimens. In 1921, the club was recognized by the French Kennel Club and Abbé Fournier was its president.

The French Spaniel is described in the FCI standard as a balanced, frank, sweet, calm, and docile dog. It is eager when hunting and sociable with its peers. Very attached to its owner, the French Spaniel tolerates solitude very poorly. Of a good-natured disposition, it should be educated gently, without brutality.

The French Spaniel is a large spaniel, muscular while being harmoniously proportioned. The bone structure is strong without being coarse. In full, the tail reaches the point of the hock. Strong at birth, it gradually diminishes towards the extremity. The head is moderately long and wide, with a pronounced stop without excess, a well-pigmented nose, widely open nostrils. The eyes are cinnamon to brown color, as close as possible to the coat color. They are large and oval in shape. The drooping ears are attached on the line of the eye, reaching the tip of the nose when folded forward. The hair is long and wavy on the ears, as well as on the back of the limbs and the tail. It is flat, silky and well-furnished on the body with some waves behind the neck and above the tail root. The head has short and fine hair. The coat is white and brown with medium patching, the brown varying from cinnamon to dark liver. Irregular areas of color can be dominant. The white is little or moderately speckled and roan without excess.